Campers Report Suspicious Incident at Beverly Elementary

A teenager may have been carrying a gun at Monday, a  spokeswoman reported Thursday.

According to BPS spokeswoman Marcia Wilkinson and the Beverly Hills Police Department, two campers, age 10 and 11, attending a day camp at the Beverly Hills Club were cutting across the Beverly Elementary playground Monday afternoon on their way to Southfield Road. According to police reports, the campers — both of whom do not attend Birmingham schools — saw three teenage boys playing basketball on the playground.

The teenagers allegedly approached the two boys and asked if they could play basketball, then told them to take off their shoes, Both boys said one of teenagers was in possession of what looked like a gun. A camp counselor observing the scene from Beverly Park later told police he wasn’t sure if the weapon was real, a paintball or airgun, or a toy.

Wilkinson said the Beverly Hills Police Department is investigating the case and working to keep the school district abreast of the investigation. Additional police units will monitor the area throughout the summer.

“Please use this opportunity to talk with your child about safety,” Wilkinson said. “Encourage them to be alert and aware of their surroundings.”

This isn’t the first incident at Beverly Elementary this week, Wilkinson said. At some point this week, she said new picnic tables outside the elementary were vandalized.